Monday, April 11, 2011

William G. Hillar, 66, passed himself off to university employers as a former Green Beret and expert in international sex-trafficking and counterterrorism pleaded guilty March 30 to wire fraud.

Hillar was arrested at his Maryland home on Jan. 25. The Justice Department says that the former Coast Guard enlisted man pretended for about 12 years to be a retired Army colonel with a Special Forces background. Part of his faux biography included a claim that his daughter was kidnapped by human traffickers in Asia and that he spent six months in a futile effort to rescue her.

Hillar's story reportedly was the basis of a 2008 movie, "Taken," starring Liam Neeson.

Hillar could get up to 20 years in prison when he's sentenced on July 20, the FBI said in a statement. Under the terms of the plea agreement he will pay restitution of $171,415 and perform at least 500 hours of community service at the Maryland State Veterans Cemeteries.

The amount of restitution equals the money that he earned from the teaching jobs and speaking engagements he made based on his fraudulent bio.

This story is fascinating on many different levels; a fraud is busted, there is no daughter sold into sex slavery, honor is restored, and best of all it was Green Berets who busted out this phony wannabe. Details here.